


She had a heart of steel and a mind of gold

by Qxeenkilla



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, girlxgirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:32:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9804653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qxeenkilla/pseuds/Qxeenkilla
Summary: A Josie McCoy/ Cheryl blossom fan fiction.Singing powerhouse Josie McCoy and Head cheerleader Cheryl Blossom had never spoken, that is, until the pivotal summer in which Cheryl's dearest twin brother Jason 'lost his life'. This all changes one rainy evening at the back of Pop's chock'lit shop, where the two meet, involving many spilled tears and laughs. Read as the following events of that summer unfold as the two opposites bond in ways they never thought they would.





	

To Josie, Cheryl Blossom was a hazard.

Cheryl was that one person that the mind innately warns to steer clear of. And Josie's mind, for sure, had already pinned Cheryl down as someone who she didn't want to be in the same air space as. It was unlikely, anyway, that at School they would encounter one another. Cheryl was a cheerleader, Josie was the lead singer of the iconic and notorious band  _Josie and the pussycats._ They were binary opposites, yet, so similar. Leaders of their own circles. Powerhouses, respectively.

And so, when Josie caught Cheryl Blossom sobbing by the side of Pop's diner on August 1st, her immediate instinct was to  _ignore._

It was raining torrentially. Josie didn't particularly like heading out in such dismal weather conditions, but on that day she was feeling hungry. Plus, she needed an escape from her home. Having the mayor as her mother sometimes felt constrictive, like she had to be perfect and prim, even in the supposed 'comfort' of her own home. Pop's Chock'lit's diner offered that secluded, comfortable ambiance that Josie found herself so often seeking, especially when she was working on new music.

Josie was walking out of the diner, heading out via the backdoors like she usually did (She liked the danger of exclusivity, it made her feel more human). 

"J-jason," Came the muffled sob of Cheryl.

Josie stopped dead in her tracks, a frown deeply ingrained on her face. When she turned to the direction of the cry, she saw Cheryl Blossom sitting perched on cold stone steps, holding her face in her hands. Her hair was wet from the rain, causing it to lie flat over her shoulders like an extinguished flame. At that moment, Josie thought that Cheryl was reminiscent of that. A burning flame that had been put out by the scathing hands of reality.

 _Just turn around and leave. Pretend you never saw her here._ Josie thought, but as much as she wanted to, she just couldn't make herself turn her back. 

Because she knew the reason behind Cheryl's tears. 

Jason Blossom's death, according to the conversations overheard by Josie as she eavesdropped in on her mothers meetings with sheriff Keller, was on the 4th of July. His body had not been found, although Cheryl reported that her twin brother had drowned whilst trying to retrieve her fallen glove. Josie was almost certain that the majority of the students in Riverdale were aware of the tragic death.

As for Cheryl, she had not shown her face outside the confides of her home since that day. Rumor was that she had not left her room, that the neighbors could hear her sobs ring throughout the night. Another stated that Cheryl had not cried once since the incident, that she had transformed into a mute robot. Of course, Josie thought that was all bullshit. Especially now, when the redheaded vixen was right in front of her.

Josie knew from the moment she laid eyes on this lugubrious creature that she wasn't going to run away, not ever.

"Cheryl?" Josie said. She didn't know what to do, or say, but she knew she could not just leave Cheryl like this, sobbing in the rain.

Cheryl slowly looked up from beneath her arms. 

Josie felt her stomach lurch. 

Cheryl was broken. running mascara formed black teardrops that just did not seem to end. Her entire face was deathly pale, as if someone had sucked her life, her essence straight out of her. Gone was the cunning smile that Josie saw so much of in school. Gone was the air of self-importance and confidence that Josie had so secretly admired. Now, Cheryl was a shell of her old self. 

When Cheryl didn't speak, Josie took a tentative step forward. "Cheryl, it's raining. If you stay out here any longer you'll die of hypothermia." 

Josie wasn't the best at being... Comforting. At least, not to total strangers. She cursed herself for being so insensitive. She should've asked if Cheryl was okay (though she clearly was not) or been less abrupt. 

She was about to apologise when she saw Cheryl crack a smile. 

Cheryl was smiling at Josie.

Josie noticed how different this smile was to the smile that Cheryl donned in school. The falseness rooted in it was no longer present here, instead there was a blatant genuineness to this smile. Josie liked it. She liked the mere idea that  _she_ was the cause, the root of this smile.

"Well if it isn't riverdale's own Beyonce." Cheryl said, her tone less vicious than usual. Truth be told, she sounded exhausted. There was no malice in what she said, because that genuine smile was till rooted on her face. 

Josie found herself smiling too. She approached Cheryl slowly, joining her on the hard, cold steps. 

"The one and only," Josie commented.

Cheryl's smile widened. "Josie McCoy, you're the very first person to see me cry since my brother left." She said weakly. 

Josie turned to look at Cheryl at this exact moment, and her round eyes locked with Cheryl's deep, dark brown ones. 

Josie wished she could explain why her heart suddenly thudded harder against her chest, or why Cheryl's eyes were igniting something deep within her, a timid nervousness, that Josie was foreign to.

She didn't  _get_ nervous.

Clearing her throat, Josie quickly averted her eyes, opting to stare hard at the cobblestone floor. Rain had rendered it shiny and wet, yet it still attacked the stone mercilessly, hit after hit after hit.

What was even worse was that Josie could still  _feel_ Cheryl's eyes on the side of her face. 

"I'm sorry about what happened to Jason." Josie breathed, because she had never gotten a chance to fully send her condolences to the Blossom family. She couldn't even begin to imagine what they were all going through. Losing a family member was the hardest thing to endure, and seeing Cheryl look so defeated pulled at Josie's heartstrings.

Cheryl didn't reply for a long time, and soon silence engulfed the pair like a cynical presence. Josie glanced at the redhead, who was staring down at the cobblestone floor, the same way Josie had done. her face was blank and stoic.

"It's okay. Hopefully he's in a better place now." 

Josie nodded. She didn't much believe in heaven and hell but she couldn't dispute what Cheryl had said.

"I can't tell you that things will get better, because, honestly, I don't know if they will. But what I do know is that you are Cheryl blossom, and you are admired, and hated," Cheryl smiled at this. "By many simply due to your  _fierceness._ You embody confidence, you wear it the same way you wear your favourite Chanel coat. So, Cheryl, you'll combat this. You'll claw your way to some sense of calm because  _you_ _are you."_ Josie said, every word meaning something to her. 

Cheryls mouth hung open slightly, stunned by everything Josie had said. There was a palpable sense of mutual respect hanging in the air, and as Cheryl gazed at the curly haired pussycat, she adorned a new wave of curiosity. 

But, Josie just stood up, still smiling at the red head.

"I'll see you around, Cheryl," She said, turning to leave.

Cheryl found her voice just in time. "Josie..."

Josie turned around slightly, slowing her walk.

Cheryl's eyes blazed with a sparkling intrigue. "Thank you." 

Josie's entire body warmed, and the smile she was donning was enough to hurt the sides of her cheeks. Shoving her hands In her pocket, she nodded at Cheryl and strutted away.

It was safe to say that josie's opinion of Cheryl had drastically changed. No longer was Cheryl a hazard, but more so a book that Josie desperately wanted to get to the end of.


End file.
